Internal Scars
by Fearae
Summary: Hermione has returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year. While she is there, she has to take classes with Draco Malfoy. Hermione's internal struggle is formed by one question. Is it possible for a someone to love someone they hate?
1. Prolouge- Diagon Alley

It was a brisk summer day as Hermione anxiously walked into the entrance to Diagon Alley, wearing a heavy traveling cloak. Although she was turning 18 in a few days, Hermione decided to return to Hogwarts for her final year at Hogwarts. She had been contemplating this for several weeks, unsure of whether she should actually go. It had been really hard when she found out that her two best friends, Ron and Harry, weren't going to return to school. In the end, Hermione decided that getting into the ministry was her main priority and left both of her friends in a depressed mood. Hermione looked at the shops that surrounded her as she walked down the wide, sunny street. A lot had changed in the last few months. More shops were open and the Happy atmosphere was back. The last time she had been here, Hermione had broken into Gringotts and stolen a dragon. Hermione shot a nervous glance up the street towards the bank. Hopefully, the management would forgive her for destroying half the street. She giggled nervously and pulled the hood of her cloak up higher. So far, nobody had noticed that one of the most famous witches of today had walked right into one of the busiest wizarding areas in Britain. Hermione had been avoiding the notice of the press. Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, Daily Prophet reporters asking her personal questions about her life had swarmed Hermione everywhere she went. Going incognito was the only way she had been able to run away from her life as a celebrity. She glanced around and stopped in her tracks. Hermione had almost walked past Gringotts, and hastily walked towards the doors. As she entered the majestic hall, the goblins around the walls looked up from the walls and a hush fell over all of them. She noticed at that moment that she was the only customer in the usually packed bank. "Miss Granger," said a goblin sitting at the leftmost desk. "What an honor to have you visit our humble establishment." Hermione stood there for a moment in shock. "A-aren't you angry at me," she stammered. "Last time I w-was here I nearly destroyed the entire building? The goblin raised his eyebrows in a puzzled way. " Miss Granger, you saved my brother, Griphook from the death eaters." He exclaimed. " There is no way I can ever repay you for what you did." Hermione grimaced. She didn't especially like Griphook. The goblin had betrayed them and nearly got them captured. In fact, she hadn't even rescued Griphook. That had been the work of Ron and Harry while she was unconscious. Hermione decided that the Goblin didn't actually need to know this. Having a goblin ally could be useful in the future and she didn't want the goblin to hate her. "May I ask your name," Hermione said, smiling. The goblin smiled back. "My name is Engorm, now Miss Granger, what can I help you with?" Hermione took out her beaded bag. " I would like to exchange Muggle money." She took out £500 out of her bag and placed it on the counter. As Engorm counted out the money she also took out an empty bag for her money. " 100 Galleons Miss Granger," The goblin said cheerfully, "would you like to open an account with us?" "No, I think I'm fine," said Hermione as she walked passed the door. _It's quite strange that I haven't encountered anyone from Hogwarts yet, _Hermione thought. It was a week before school started. She would have expected to see people she recognized. Luna or Ginny at the very least. She assumed that they would be coming a different day to do their shopping.

Hermione decided to have a quick coffee outside the new café that had opened where Flourean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour used to be. When she got there, Hermione opened her letter from Hogwarts for the first time. As she took out the letter, a shiny badge fell out from the folds of the paper. As Hermione picked it up with trembling hands, she ran a finger over the engraving of Head Girl in the silver. She felt a rush of joy to have been picked for the Head Girl position. At that moment, she imagined Ron and Harry congratulating her for her achievement. A tear ran down Hermione's cheek and landed on the Badge in her hands. Everything would be different this year. Harry and Ron weren't going to be here. They were her best mates. Hermione had never gone a school year without either of them. She didn't have a lot of other friends outside those two. Hermione began to cry openly. She missed her friends more than she originally realized. What if she spent the entire year without anyone to talk to? As silent tears dripped down her face, a sign across the street caught her eye. It was a small display outside Eeylops Owl Emporium. The sign read "Rare Boreal Owl's! Just arrived today! Limited stock only! Only 25 Galleons!" Hermione's heart rate quickened. This was the solution! If Hermione bought an owl, she could send letters to Harry, Ron and even her parent's whenever she wanted. She was going to do what she intended to do back in her third year and buy an owl. Twenty minutes later, Hermione walked out of Eeylops Owl Emporium with a beautiful Boreal Owl resting in a silver cage, gripped in her hand. She had decided to name the Owl Nymph after Tonks. Hermione had been told by the clerk that the Boreal Owls were quite rare in Britain nowadays and that she was lucky to have gotten one. She was overjoyed at the thought of having her own personal owl. Hermione spent the next few hours going to various shops. She went to Flourish and Blots first to buy her required books. Next she restocked all of her potions ingredients. After that, Hermione went to Madam Malkins to buy new robes. She went next door to Amanuensis Quills and bought new quills. Finally, Hermione stopped by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. When she walked up to the joke store, she immediately noticed a difference. The purple poster that had been plastered onto the wall had been replaced by a black poster of Fred Weasley, who was pulling faces at a pair of 8-year-old witches walking with their parents. Hermione walked into the store and noticed large black banners hanging from most of the banisters. She also noticed George Weasley talking to a family of 6 in a corner of the shop. Hermione immediately walked over to George and poked him in the back. "Hey, Hermione. You startled me," he said in mock irritation. Hermione noticed that Fred was wearing an odd hat that covered his left ear. "Hi George," Hermione said cheerfully. "How are you doing?" The grin fell from George's face. "I'm not doing to well. It is harder to run a shop when there is only one manager," Fred said gloomily. Hermione could see the sadness in George's eyes and knew that he was still depressed over the death of his twin. "I am so sorry about what happened, George," Hermione said calmly. "There is no need to apologize," said George swiftly. "It wasn't your fault. In fact I have come up with a temporary solution." George led Hermione towards the front desk. She gasped in shock. Hanging above the desk was a portrait of Fred Weasley, who was snoozing in his frame. "I got him professionally done so he could be like the Headmaster portraits at Hogwarts," said George. He walked over to Fred and started yelling. "Fred! Wake up!" Fred's eyes opened slowly. He blinked a few times and looked down at the two of them. "Hello Hermione," said Fred grinning. " I would shake your hand, but I am stuck in this frame." Hermione giggled under her breath. She was glad that George at least had a portrait of Fred. That was more than harry had of his parents. "Hi Fred," Hermione said. "Can I go back to bed now," asked Fred. "I was having a really good dream." George chuckled. "Suit yourself. Now Hermione, is there anything you needed?" "No, I just wanted to say hello," she said. After a quick chat with George, Hermione left the shop and wandered down Diagon Alley. She noticed a group of 20-year-old wizards looking in her direction. Hermione pulled the hood of her cloak up higher. It was going to be a strange year, but Hermione would make the best of it.


	2. Chapter 1- The Train

Authors Note: Hey Everyone! Thank you so MUCH for reading my story. I am rather new to this so if you have any suggestions, please give them to me. Last chapter was a prologue that had some plot points I needed to introduce before Hermione left for school. I also forgot to format the chapter so it wasn't blocky, so sorry. It has been so long since I updated. I was on vacation and didn't have a lot of time to work on this story. Special thanks to mssweetychessgir and stephanie duncan for being my first followers and to hallelaurennn for being the first person to favorite this. Without any further ado, here is the first real chapter. ~ Fearae

Hermione Granger was sitting in a Muggle café inside Kings Cross Station. She was gazing out of focus into a distant corner while she ate her Danish. In about an hour, Hermione would be heading to Hogwarts for her final year. She wondered how many other people from her year were going to return. Hermione decided that she wouldn't worry about it and took another bite out of her Danish. After chewing for a few seconds, Hermione checked her watch. It was 10:30; she still had a lot of time. As Hermione looked out of the café window, she spotted a white blonde haired figure walking through the crowd. Her heart rate quickened. _Surely that wasn't Draco Malfoy, _Hermione thought. _Why would he return? He went to school all last year. _Hermione decided, after much unneeded contemplation on the matter, that she had simply seen some Muggle and had gotten jumpy. _Seriously though, Hermione thought. Why do I care so much if he is going back to school or not. _Hermione sat in contemplation for a few minutes, completely ignoring her Danish. It was only when an overly nosy waitress came over to her table that Hermione started eating again. She looked out the window again and peered through the crowd. Hermione saw no sign of anyone with white blonde hair. The nearby waitress looked at her curiously. "Who are you waiting for," she asked. Hermione looked up and blushed. "Nobody," said Hermione. "Are you done with your food, miss," the waitress asked. "Hermione glanced at her watch. It was a quarter to 11. "Yes, I am. Thank you," said Hermione. The waitress started gossiping happily about some electronic her boyfriend had given had given to her as she cleaned up Hermione's plates. Hermione yawned. Some people really were annoying.

She quickly hurried out of the shop 5 minutes later, after sitting through a long gossip session. Hermione had left her luggage in a coat hanger at the front of the café. Luckily, nobody had noticed Nymph's cage or Hermione's heavy trunk. She grabbed a trolley from a dispenser near the entrance and hurried towards platform 9 ¾. Hermione made sure that no Muggles were looking and then leaned on the barrier, sliding through the wall to platform 9 ¾. The platform was already dotted with families of Hogwarts students sending their children off. Hermione went over to the train and heaved her trunk inside. She went to the first carriage on the train, the prefect carriage, and dropped of her trunk. She deposited, Nymph's cage next to her trunk, Nymph ruffling her feathers indignantly as she was knocked into a neighboring trunk. Hermione clambered out of the train and went over to a stand to buy a Daily Prophet to read on the journey.

Hermione climbed back into the train and went into the prefect's carriage. She still had five minutes until the train left. Hermione looked around and quickly got changed into her Hogwarts robes before anybody else entered the compartment. She pulled her head girl pin out of her trunk and pinned it to her robes. Hermione sat back down and started to read her newspaper. As Hermione read, she heard the unmistakable noises of prefects ambling into the compartment, chatting with their friends as they sat down on the cushioned seats. She ignored them. Hermione knew that she would talk to them later anyways. Hermione rifled through the paper looking for an article. "Granger!" Hermione dropped her newspaper in shock. Standing next to her was Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing here, Malfoy," Hermione asked. Malfoy raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "I was appointed head boy, as you can see." Malfoy said, pointing to the silver badge pinned to his chest. Hermione was filled with a sense of dread. She was going to have to do all of her duties with this slug? She looked for something to say in retort. "I meant, why did you return to Hogwarts? You went last year," She said, crossly. " I didn't take my N.E.W.T's last year. Anyways, McGonagall gave me a special opportunity. I assume she offered it to you too," Malfoy drawled, slightly smirking. This confused Hermione. Professor McGonagall didn't mention anything to her. "I have no idea what you are talking about," Hermione snapped. A look of mischief spread across Malfoy's face. "I am not going to tell you then. You will have to find out on your own," he said joyfully. Hermione secretly wanted to know, but she wasn't about to admit that to Malfoy. "Well now, looks like we are going to be getting used to each other from now on," Malfoy said in her silence as he pulled out a slip of paper from an envelope. Hermione remembered that she was supposed to instruct the prefects of their duties. She quickly pulled out her own letter and read it.

Dear Miss Granger,

Congratulations on being selected to be head girl. The head girl will be able to sleep in the head dormitory at the top of the staircase to Gryffindor dormitories. This will be your own private bedroom. You will also have access to the prefect bathrooms and a private lunchroom. As a head girl, your duties include:

1\. Weekly Hallway patrols from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am

2\. Regulating School wide notices

3\. Assisting the gamekeeper every week on Saturdays

4\. Presiding over the Prefects

5\. Doing weekly reports of school behavior for the teachers.

You will be giving instructions to all girl prefects on their duties.

As a head girl, you will have the power to take up to 50 house points from students and will be able to assign detentions to students if a teacher approves it. Best of luck to you,

M. McGonagall- Headmistress

Hermione stared at the last word. She hadn't known that Professor McGonagall was the headmistress now. _Well, _Hermione thought_. She was the deputy headmistress before. It only makes sense. _Hermione looked up to see Malfoy staring at her. Hermione gave him such an intense glare that Malfoy recoiled. "Why were you looking at me like that," Hermione demanded. "You looked puzzled at the letter, it was kind of cute," he drawled. Hermione's pulse quickened. _How DARE he call me cute, _thought Hermione? And without any notice, she slapped him right across the face. "Creep," She fumed on her way out of the door. Hermione walked into the hall, painfully aware that all the prefects were craning their necks to look at her. Hermione was frustrated and needed to get her head strait. She walked up to the front of the train to buy some food from the lunch cart.

She then walked back to the compartment, carrying a pile of licorice wands, cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs. All the prefects were still staring at her. Hermione decided it was best to act as if nothing had happened. Hermione sent the 6th and 7th year prefects out into the corridor to patrol the halls and began instructing the 5th years. Malfoy caught on and began to explain as well. When all the 5th years had gone too, the two of them where alone. "Well Granger, it looks like we are alone," said Malfoy. Hermione ignored this, something Malfoy was quick to notice. "I didn't know you were so kinky, Granger, slapping me backhand like that." This made Hermione flare up. She hadn't even slapped him backhand. "You are so sick! Why are you even talking to me," exclaimed Hermione. "Have you just come to insult me again?" A grimace flashed across Malfoy's face. "No, actually," he said in a much softer tone. "I-I actually wanted to tell you that I have give up my racist ways. After doing a lot of thinking, I realized that there is no reason to be a bigot anymore. You saved my life Hermione, there isn't anything that I can do to make up for that." Hermione was still too angry to think rationally. "Well," she said. "You aren't doing a very good job at not being a bigot." Malfoy looked stung by this, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he walked over into the corner and sat down, looking at her in a questioning way. Hermione sighed. It was going to be a long ride.


	3. Chapter 2- The Beginning

Hey I am so sorry about the wait. I had finals at the end of March and I was really busy. Don't worry though, I didn't forget about this story.

~Fearae

Chapter 3- Beginning

Hermione sat in a corner of her compartment, as far away from Malfoy as she could get. As she started to calm down, she was starting to feel guilty. She knew it had only been a harmless joke and that brushing off his apology had been harsh. After thinking about it for a while, Hermione realized that Malfoy hadn't called her a Mudblood for the whole hour he had been with her. _A new personal record for him,_ thought Hermione, bitterly. She looked over to the corner that Malfoy was sitting in. He still looked offended by her comment. Hermione sighed, as she stared out of the window. Malfoy looked at her. "Did you say anything Granger," He asked. "No, of course I didn't," said Hermione. "Okay fine," said Malfoy in his usual drawl. "I will be here if you want to have a word. Hermione ignored this last remark. She was wondering why Malfoy all the sudden seemed so uncaring about what she had said. Did he not care or something? Hermione shook her head. Boys could be very strange creatures sometimes. She looked out the window, and to her utter joy, Hermione say the familiar buildings of Hogsmead. Relief flowed through her veins. Hermione would be clear of Malfoy for the whole evening. She practically ran out of the compartment when the train stopped. Hermione was running so fast that she didn't even notice as she knocked over a few terrified second years in the corridor. Hermione spotted a head of bright red hair through the crowd of students and recognized it at once. "Ginny!" Ginny turned her head in puzzlement, which quickly turned into delight. "Hi Hermione! Are you excited to be a seventh year with me?" Hermione looked at her for a second. She had forgotten that Ginny was in her year now. "Hey Ginny, do you want to get a carriage," said Hermione. She had just seen Malfoy's blond head through the crowd.

Hermione and Ginny got into a carriage with a few 6th years chatting in the corner. Hermione noticed that she could see thestrals now. They were actually quite ominous with their white unblinking eyes and their skeletal bodies. She noticed that Ginny was staring at them too. They had both been watching the final battle between Harry and Voldemort when the latter had died. As the carriage went up to the castle, Hermione and Ginny chatted about their summers. Ginny had spent hers at the Burrow where Harry had also been staying, much to Ginny's delight. Hermione had spent the Holiday with her parents, where they had gone hiking in the mountains of England and gone camping. The chattering of happy voices welcomed them as they walked into the great hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. As she looked up at the long table, she noticed that Professor McGonagall was coming down from her seat at the center of the table and was heading toward the Gryffindor table. "Granger, Patil, Thomas, Longbottom. Follow me," she said. Bewildered, Hermione followed Professor McGonagall over to the other tables where a few Hufflepuff's, a lot of Ravenclaw's and two Slytherin's joined them. Hermione noticed that Malfoy was one of the two Slytherins, but she decided to ignore him. Professor McGonagall led them towards a classroom on the second floor. Half the people in the room looked puzzled. As Professor McGonagall sat down at the teacher's desk while everyone else found desks to sit at. "So," she said, "as you may have noticed, you are all students returning to finish their 7th year." Hermione looked around the room. All of the people were in her year. "All of you are technically in the seventh year." We nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately, due to the complications last year, a lot of our seventh years were unable to get proper education. Your NEWT's were also cancelled because of the fight." Hermione hadn't known that. _So that is why Malfoy is back, _Hermione thought. "Since there are so many of you, we are designing new courses for Hogwarts students. There are other students in younger years that are a year older and will be using this same method. You will be the first 8th years in Hogwarts." We all gasped. A new system? It was completely unheard of in Hogwarts. "You will all be attending special classes together. You will all also be a teacher aide for one teacher," Professor McGonagall said. _A TA, _Hermione though. _I wonder which teacher I will be with? _"We will continue to offer this program even after the year delay as an optional class that students can take for an advanced Hogwarts degree or as a teaching opportunity. Now go off and enjoy the feast," Professor McGonagall finished. Hermione walked out with the rest of the class and sat down with the other Gryffindor 8th years. The sorting had already ended and the rest of the school were loading their plates. "Hi Pavarti," said Hermione. "Oh, hi Hermione," she replied looking a little down. "What is wrong?" "I am feeling lonely, I guess," she replied. Hermione looked down the table. "Where is Lavender?" Pavarti looked up sadly. "Don't you remember," Pavarti said, almost crying. "She was attacked by Greyback. You were the one who saved her. Lavender is in St. Mungo's receiving treatment." Hermione gulped. She had forgotten about that. "What about Padma," Hermione asked, trying to recover her mistake. "Oh," giggled Pavarti, looking much happier. "Padma got engaged over the summer. She is going to be married." "Oh my, congratulations," said Hermione. "Who is she engaged to?" "Terry Boot," said Pavarti. "They were dating for ages and he proposed over the summer." Hermione felt better. At least Padma hadn't been attacked during the battle of Hogwarts. Hermione turned to face Dean and Neville who were chatting. "Hi Dean, hi Neville," Hermione said. They turned to face her. "Hi Hermione, we were just discussing the new system," said Neville. "I probably wouldn't have returned if Professor McGonagall hadn't mentioned the teaching in the letter." Hermione was taken aback. "She mentioned the 8th year course to you," Hermione said, bewildered. "Oh yeah. In the letter, she mentioned that to certain students that she sent the teaching information to spark their interest, but that everyone would be doing it," said Neville. _That must have been the special opportunity that Malfoy mentioned. _"I am returning just because I wasn't here last year," said Dean. Hermione nodded. "Same here. You know Dean, I never told you, but you were camping at the same stream as us one time." Dean looked at her curiously. "Really now? I didn't see anyone any of the times I set up camp," he noted. "We used defensive spells to hide our existence from others. We saw you when you were with Ted Tonks and the two goblins." Dean's face lit up. "That was the night that I easily had the best meal while I was on the run. We split up shortly after that. Never knew you guys had seen me. It was smart to use protective spells. That is why I was caught in the end. Snatchers found my tent in the end. I didn't know who they were, so I just told them my name. Obviously I was on the Muggle born registration list, so they took me. That was when I caught up with you." Hermione chatted with the other 8th years as the main course faded away and was replaced by the puddings. Even though Hermione was in a fantastic mood, she kept looking back at Malfoy, just to keep an eye on him. Every once in a while, Hermione caught him smirking back, which annoyed her each time. After the feast was done, Hermione went up to the common room and climbed the spiral staircase all the way to the top. Hermione was anxious to see what the Head suite looked like. She fumbled around in her pocket for her letter, extracting after a few seconds. She felt around in the envelope until she found a key. _A key, _Thought Hermione. _The door must be enchanted so that Alohamora doesn't work. _Hermione put the key into the lock and turned. As the door swung open, Hermione's jaw dropped. Inside was a beautiful room with a king sized bed, a walk in closet, a fire place, large windows and a lark desk. Hermione was amazed. She jumped onto the bed and immediately wanted to fall asleep in the fluffy pillows and soft blankets. She got dressed and crawled into bed. As she lay there, slowly losing consciousness, Hermione wondered what surprises tomorrow would hold.


	4. Chapter 3- The letter

Chapter 4: The Letter

When Hermione woke, she wondered why she felt a sharp pain by her left ear. After the initial stage of drowsiness, Hermione jerked up to see a fluffy owl pecking her. "Go away," she moaned, reaching up to untie the letter attached to its leg.

All 8th year students,

You will promptly report to the Great Hall to specially receive instructions concerning your schedules. I will be awaiting you there to give further instructions.

-Professor M. McGonagall Headmistress

Hermione rolled over and stared at the clock on her bedside table. It was 5:30. She groaned and climbed out of bed. Not even bothering to comb her hair, Hermione pulled on her Hogwarts robes and headed downstairs. She stopped only to pet Crookshanks on the head. She took a shortcut concealed by a tapestry and rushed down the marble staircase. Suddenly she ran headfirst into something very solid. "Oi! Watch where you are going," said the person. He stood up, revealing a head of ruffled, white hair. "Well Granger, figures that you would be the person who runs into me," said Malfoy indignantly. Hermione mumbled an apology and hurried into the Great Hall. "Maybe if you took your mind out of your books every once in a while, then you wouldn't have a problem seeing in front of you," Malfoy called after Hermione as slipped inside the hall. About half of the 8th years were seated at the long staff table. Some of them were having light conversations, but most everybody was too groggy to say anything to each other. Hermione sat between Dean and Pavarti. The former was sleeping with his face flat on the table. She chatted softly to Pavarti as the remainder of the students filed into the Great Hall, each person slightly more awake. When all of them were seated, Professor McGonagall stood up from where she had been sitting, unnoticed, in a shadowy corner of the Great Hall.

"You will all receive your schedules early due to the fact that you will be having a TA assignment and your TA teacher will be giving you a brief presentation on what you will be doing." Everyone at the table nodded at this. With a wave of her wand, Professor McGonagall conjured up a heap of scrolls and levitated them over to their respective owners. Hermione gingerly unrolled hers. She was taking all the same classes, noticing that they were all special 8th year classes. At the bottom was her TA information. She would be with Professor McGonagall, teaching transfiguration. Hermione had to report to her class ½ an hour before classes started each morning. On Friday, she would be teaching in the afternoons. "Now as you can see, you will be assisting in teaching one period out of the week. The other days you will simply be assisting with class setup. Also, since there are so many of you, each of you will have a partner that will has the same TA info as you." Hermione continued reading her scroll, and her stomach plummeted. Sitting on the page like a little pimple was the name Draco Malfoy, written in black ink. She sneaked a glance at him down the table. He was staring right back at Hermione. Noticing her gaze, he smirked before looking back down at his schedule. Hermione fumed.

1 hour later, Hermione sat at the breakfast table, upset about the fact that she was looking forward to ½ an hour sitting with Malfoy. She groaned audibly, causing some 5th year girls to give her a strange look. A few minutes of staring at her eggs and toast later, Hermione heard a rustling of wings. The post had arrived. She gaze at the ceiling, searching for any that might be heading her direction. A tiny owl was zooming toward her. Hermione recognized the owl as Pigwidgeon. Getting the letter off was a struggle, due to the fact that Pigwidgeon wouldn't stop hopping. Eventually she untied the letter and he sped off. She opened the letter and recognized Ron's handwriting.

Dear Hermione,

I can't stop thinking about you. Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, I have been considering our relationship. That kiss…well I mean. Since we are practically a couple now, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at Hogsmead during your next trip. Please send your reply soon.

-Love Ron.

Hermione was in total shock. That was not at all what she was expecting. That kiss… it had been a heat of the moment thing. She had thought they were going to die. Had Ron really taken that seriously? She squirmed uncomfortably. She had no idea whether Ron was the right person for her. She decided that it would be nice to see Ron, although the thought made her feel uneasy. The best thing about this was that it drove all thoughts of Malfoy out of her mind.


	5. Chapter 4- The Memories

Chapter 4: The Memories.

**… I am back…**

The next few weeks passed without much interest from Hermione. She continued to go to all of her classes, assist Professor McGonagall, especially when she had to take care of Headmistress Duties. There was one thing that did bother Hermione, and that was the behavior of Draco Malfoy. On one particular Monday, Hermione had been heading to NEWT Arithmancy when she had passed by a certain blonde devil in a 6th floor corridor. She looked right at him; prepared to take whatever snarky remark he shot a her. To Hermione's surprise, Malfoy merely glanced at her before quickly walking away. She stopped midstride, dropping her bag in her moment of imbalance. Hermione dove down and started gathering the stack of parchment that had slid out. Malfoy kept walking determinately in the opposite direction as Hermione stared after him. Flushed with embarrassment, Hermione inspected her bag to make sure that nothing was damaged. Luckily, her Gryffindor scarf had cushioned her ink bottle and everything else seemed to be fine. Hermione hadn't been able to concentrate in class that day. She was shocked at the complete 180 transformation in Malfoy's personality. Just last week, Malfoy had been tormenting her every time they saw each other. From placing the jelly legs jinx on her when she was in the entrance hall, to the constant jokes about S&amp;M, Malfoy had been an absolute pain in the ass. This time he had barely acknowledged her. It was as though Malfoy was avoiding her. _"I wonder why that would be," _Thought Hermione, as Professor Vector drew a diagram on the blackboard. That morning, during her TA period, Malfoy had been off doing errands for Professor McGonagall. Hermione hadn't noticed Malfoy's lack of a greeting because she had been given the task of transfiguring a set of pincushions into Gerbils for a class of 3rd years. Yes, Hermione was definitely put off by Malfoy's strange behavior; in fact it made her quite disconcerted. Hermione tried her best not to worry about Malfoy's problems; she had quite enough on her plate involving a red-haired best friend. She had agreed to visit him at the three broomsticks on the first Hogsmead weekend, which would be on Saturday the 26th. On Thursday, she had sent Nymph back with her response and regretted her decision only 3 days later. She went down to breakfast a little bit late and found Nymph waiting for her at the Gryffindor table. Rushing over, Hermione tugged the reply off of her leg and ruffled Nymph's feathers in thanks. Nymph hooted cheerfully and flew off to have a rest. Hermione scanned the letter quickly.

Hermione

Your Owl is quite beautiful. She got along quite well with Pig, surprisingly. I am truly delighted to be your date for the Hogsmead weekend. George is accompanying me, as he is looking to buy Zonkos Joke Shop. He has a present for me to give to you. Anyways I hope that you are looking forward to our visit as much as I am. Just in case you can't wait, I have enclosed a teaser to keep you occupied.

Love-

Ron

Ron's idea of a teaser turned out to be a photograph. Hermione had rummaged about in the envelope and nearly gagged when she pulled it out. It was a wizarding photograph of a shirtless Ron, flexing his muscles and winking at the camera. Pavatri, who had been chatting animatedly to Neville about Padma's wedding plans turned to look at Hermione when she heard Hermione gasp. Spotting the photograph, Pavarti giggled and lunged for the Photo. Hermione was caught off guard and Pavarti was able to snatch it out of her hands. Pavarti had started laughing so hard that she was in danger of falling of the bench. Hermione flushed crimson red. Luckily, Pavarti waited until they got into the Entrance hall to torment Hermione any further. "So," Pavarti sang, "are you and Won-Won a couple now?" Hermione's face flushed again. She started spluttering incomprehensibly. Draco Malfoy, who was walking by, stopped to add a comment. "I should have known that Granger would hook up with Weasley Riff Raff." Hermione's face went from puce to brick red. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't insult my friends, Malfoy," Hrmione stated in the calmest voice possible. "Ooo," Malfoy gasped in mock surprise, "Does this mean Granger does love Weasley? Are they going to sit in a tree, or are you going to bring your whip?" Hermione marched off towards Professor McGonagall's classroom.

Even with this painful memory floating above her like a dark cloud, she still couldn't help but worry about Malfoy. As terrible as that moment in her life had been, it did show that Malfoy wasn't the same person anymore. Hermione was feeling weird, and she didn't understand why. _"Well, if Malfoy is making me feel this way," _Hermione thought determinately_, "I will just have to do something about that."_

**Hey, Fearae here. I am so sorry about the long wait. I had terrible writers block and couldn't bring myself to write more. I finally got some inspiration and I hope the updates will be more frequent from now on. **


	6. Hiatus Notice

Hi this is Fearae. So... I lost all the files for Internal Scars after I accidentally deleted them off of my hard drive. I have not had the time or dedication to rewrite parts of the story. So for the mean time, Internal Scars is on Hiatus. this means that I won't be updating for a while. Sorry to disappoint anyone.


	7. Chapter 5- The Confrontation

Chapter 5: The Confrontation

**Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but after trying to recover this document and trying to write something decent it was hard to make it longer. Thank you for understanding.**

Hermione kept trying to get Malfoy on his own, but over the next couple of weeks he seemed to be as slippery as an eel. Professor McGonagall kept them so busy during their TA period, that there was no time for small talk. He always ran off as soon as they were dismissed. She even tried to talk to him during some of heir classes, but Malfoy specifically sat as far away from Hermione as possible. She was starting to get really frustrated at the lack of progress she had made. Even her friends had started to notice how obsessed she was getting. "Hermione!" Hermione jumped looking around. She had been stirring her porridge absentmindedly when Ginny yelled at her. "What is it Gin," asked Hermione defensively. "You have been staring at your food for the past 5 minutes without responding to me. What is up with you? You have been acting all out of sorts recently." Hermione panicked. She didn't want Ginny to know that she had been obsessing over Malfoy for a week and a half. "I'm acting completely normal," Hermione said with as much dignity as she could muster, which was hard considering she had porridge all over her cheeks. Ginny gave her a scrutinizing look as Hermione wiped the porridge away. Eventually, Ginny gave her up as a lost cause and resumed her breakfast. Hermione sighed. She knew it was not health to worry about Malfoy all the time. "_It's not like I actually care, even if I am curious. From now on I will not think about Malfoy unless I finally get him on his own._" Hermione spent the next few days in peace. She found that there were fare more pressing things to worry about than the blonde Slytherin. Her first Ancient Runes test had been graded and she had an essay to write about the properties of Felix Felicis for potions. Despite what she told herself, Hermione still found herself thinking about Malfoy when she wasn't doing anything else. Hermione often wondered what had caused Malfoys complete change in attitude, but she also wondered why she was wasting her time thinking about Malfoy. Despite what she tried to tell herself, Hermione did care a lot about what was going on with Malfoy. On the morning of the 26th, Hermione woke up and remembered that she was supposed to see Ron today. Groaning she crawled out of bed and brushed her hair. She decided to wear a set of pale pink dress robes for the occasion. Ron had written a few days ago that he had booked a table at a new restaurant called Elliot's, which was supposedly a pretty nice place. She went to the great hall to have a nice breakfast since the reservations weren't until later in the day. Hermione chose to sit next to Pavarti, who complimented her dress robes. They chatted for a bit about their plans for the Hogsmeade visit, but stopped once the mail arrived. A large Screech Owl with a newspaper came soaring down towards her. Hermione had been too busy worrying about Malfoy to care about the news, but she was more concerned about Ron today to do any worrying. The news was fairly dull. There was an article about a Goblin Rally at Gringots and another about a new population of unicorns being discovered, but nothing else interesting. Hermione left the great hall 30 minutes later and began heading down toward Hogsmeade. Hermione had been walking for around 10 minutes when she saw none other than Draco Malfoy buttoning up his cloak just ahead of her on the road. "_Finally. This is my chance," _thought Hermione. "_He has nowhere to run and I can finally get my answer." _Hermione ran forward. "Malfoy wait up. I want to chat with you." At her call, the paleheaded boy looked back at her but quickly turned around and continued walking. Hermione grimaced. "_So that's how he wants to play," _She thought. "_Diffindo," _She thought, carefully aiming her wand. The nonverbal charm did its job and severed Malfoy's bag right down the middle. An array of library books and a pair of mittens feel out. Immediately she ran over to Malfoy who was bent over the dusty road collecting his things. "What the hell was that for," He spit at her. "Can't a man walk in peace?" "I need to talk to you, but you have been running from me every time I've tried." He looked at her, tilting his head. "Well I guess it didn't work then," Malfoy muttered. "What on earth do you mean?" Malfoy straightened up, holding his possessions in his arms. "Look. Ever since last year when you saved me, I've been thinking. I've always hated the dark side, but I hadn't started to embrace the light until I saw how generous you were to come back for me. Even after all I put you through, you still saved me. That's when I realized I had made a terrible mistake. I shouldn't have been such a bigot. But when I tried apologizing to me, you didn't believe me. I tried joking with you to see if maybe you could start seeing me as a funny classmate instead of an enemy. Only that seemed to make you even more enraged at me. Finally I just decided to ignore you and hope you and hope you would do the same." Malfoy took a step closer, his face darkening. Hermione suddenly felt very small indeed. "But then, you still wouldn't leave me alone. You still decided to come after me. Why can't you stop this, Do you have any idea how I feel with all your mixed signals?...Look, I'm sorry. I was a terrible person and I admit that. So please accept my apology and move on or just leave me alone. Malfoy hastily repaired his bag and threw all his stuff in. Without a single other word, he ran off along the path. Hermione stood rooted to the spot. She could barely comprehend what had just happened. Of all the things that Malfoy was upset about, she did not expect it to be her. Hermione was there for about 2 minutes before she remembered the lunch date with Ron and with an increased sense of dread, she headed into the crowded village.


	8. Chapter 6- The Date?

Hermione was twisting the delicate fabric of her dress robes looking around nervously. She was seated on a cushy booth, with the table decorated for a candlelit dinner, for two. Hermione had nearly gagged upon seeing the table, but luckily Ron still hadn't arrived and she was able to get her initial disgust out. Waiting for Ron also had the added benefit of allowing Hermione to mull over her exchange with Malfoy. She felt so stupid, how could she have not seen it before? The whole issue seemed so obvious now that Hermione was mulling it over. Hermione figured that Malfoy was just a hard person to read. "_Or maybe," _She thought, _"You are just a dense idiot who can't take a hint." _She sighed. There was no point in worrying about what happened, that was in the past. The important thing is to consider what to do with Malfoy now. Hermione sat there for several minutes mulling over her options, not noticing the light tinkle of the door opening. It wasn't until she heard a set of heavy footsteps getting closer to her that Hermione looked up to see her red haired standing over her. "Hey 'Mione," he said with a slight wink. Ron was wearing smart Navy Blue dress robes, but hadn't bothered to try and tame his messy mane. Hermione supposed he looked pretty handsome. Blushing a bit at the thought, she looked up at Ron. "Um…hey, how are you?" They sat down for lunch, and the first part of the lunch started out really well. Ron talked about his adventures at Auror Training School. "You wouldn't believe how many dark detectors they have there, like half of them I didn't even know existed," Ron said thickly over a big plate of Steak. "Maybe I will go into the research and development of Dark detectors category, It's really interesting. I'm trying to keep an open mind though since I have been getting good grades in almost all my classes." Hermione was fascinated and preferred to listen to Rons stories instead of talking. As she had explained to Ron, it was more or less the same at Hogwarts. Even though Hermione was starting to relax, her mind kept drifting back to her earlier argument with Malfoy. On one such occasion, Hermione was slicing a rather large piece of Tuna. As she looked up, she saw Ron was wearing the most ridiculous flirty grin she had ever seen. "So..." He said in a voice that was trying way too hard to be cool, "those are some really nice dress robes." It took Hermione a moment to find her voice." "Thanks Ron, uh…you look nice too?" Hermione felt like an idiot stumbling over her words like this. The "date" was steadily getting more awkward. Hermione saw Ron do the tiniest of smirks. Hermione flushed up with indignation. _He thinks that he's making me nervous. _Well that wasn't entirely false, but not for the reasons Ron was probably going for. Ron started leaning forward a bit. "You know, not a single day passed over the summer that I wasn't missing you." Ron gave her a bit of a sad smile, but quickly recovered. Normally Hermione would find this really nice but the way he said it, it just sounded so smarmy. "Yeah," Hermione said signing a bit, "I've been missing you guys too." Hermione prayed that Ron had picked up on her subtle hint. She didn't want to just upright reject her friend. She couldn't do that to Ron, it would just break his heart. Besides, would their friendship ever recover? "So 'Mione, this date has been going rather well if I do say so myself. I'm sure I could get a favor with Ol' Aberforth if you know what I mean." Hermione froze, not daring to look up. Was her sweet childhood friend really suggesting what she though? I mean seriously, on the first date? "Huh, sorry I didn't hear what you said. Now if you could just hold that thought for a moment, I really need to find a toilet," Hermione said with a fake laugh. Ron started to open his mouth, but Hermione had already slinked off before he could catch her. She practically ran into the closest stall and slammed it shut. Who did Ronald Weasley think he was? Hermione had half a mind to march straight back to her table and punch Ron right in the jaw. _Calm down_, Hermione thought. _This situation needs to be handled delicately. _The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene at a restaurant. However, she couldn't just go back. Hermione would have no excuse not to respond if, no when he asked again. She needed a diversion tactic.

5 minutes later Hermione rounded the corner to face her table. There sat Ron, still with his dorky grin in place. She walked back to her seat and cut straight to the chase. "So Ron, I forgot to ask. How is Harry doing in Auror Training School?" Rons face slightly fell. "Not so well, I'm really worried about him." Hermione was taken aback. She would have expected Harry to flourish with his high defense grades. "Really, please explain." Ron took a deep breath. "Well, ever since the big fight, Harry has been extremely stressed. He tried to hide it at the burrow, but everyone noticed anyways. I think it really took it out of him, and that he just wants a normal life free from danger and drama. The only problem is there is so much pressure on Harry to do just that. I mean, all the instructors at the school have so many expectations they put on him. I'm just not sure this is in his best interest." Hermione felt terrible. Even though Harry wasn't there, her heart went out for him. "Maybe you and I can help," said Hermione eagerly. "If we talk him, maybe he will open more and he can get over this." Ron looked pensive. "I'm not sure that will work so well, what with Harry's determination to not let the wizarding world down. Though I suppose it's worth a shot. I'll try talking to him." The rest of the meal passed without much event. Hermione did everything in her power to keep the topic on anything but their relationship. As much as she tried, Hermione ran out of things to discuss towards the end. "So Hermione, about what I was saying earlier…" Ron began. "Hermione quickly looked at her watch. "Oh my, look at the time," she cried. In all honesty, it was getting fairly late. "But!" "I best be going now," Hermione said. "Bye Ron, I'll see you later." Hermione burst out of the restaurant. She stopped and took a few breaths." A couple of goblins sitting outside the three broomsticks snickered at her.Hermione glared at them and started walking back up the street before Ron could catch her.


	9. Chapter 7- The Nap

Chapter 7- The Nap

Quick note here, I was on a long car trip and was able to write 2 chapters during the ride. Enjoy the extra content.

Dear Harry,

As you might have heard, I met up with Ron a few days ago. It wasn't exactly the best lunch ever, but we had some nice discussions. Ron has been telling me all about Auror school. It seems absolutely intriguing and I'm jealous of all the things you get top learn. However one thing I noticed is how you never. Told me anything, even though we have been writing fairly regularly. To be honest, I'm worried about you. Ron told me that you have been falling behind in your training. It just isn't like you Harry. I mean whenever you are really invested in something, you always put your all into it and thrive. I can tell this isn't the case here. You always had good DADA grades in school, so they should apply here, but they don't. The same sort of thing happened during occlumency lessons, which you hated. You have a natural ability to clear your mind, but you never got on board with it. If this is the case, you should just do what makes you happy. You have done the wizarding world a great service by defeating Voldemort. You don't have anymore obligation to them. I hope you take the advice in my letter to heart and I hope to see you sometime in the near future.

Your friend,

-Hermione Granger

Hermione put down her quill with a flourish, having just put the finishing touches on her letter. Nymph had gotten quite annoyed with her as she kept untying the letter from the owls leg to make revisions. This time, she was sure that the letter was perfect. She fastened the letter onto Nymph for one last time. Hermione was given a look before the Owl flew out the window. She yawned loudly. It was just past midnight. Hermione had spent hours finishing her homework and a couple extra trying to write the perfect letter. Hermione swished her wand and all the candles went out except for one. _So tired. Where did I put my pajamas? _She thought. _Oh well, I can't find them, I might as well just close my eyes for a little bit. After all I'm so sleeeee-_

** THUD**

Hermione jolted awake as she lay on the hard floor. Sitting up she clasped her throbbing head as she looked up. Daylight met her eyes. _Oh no, I fell asleep before I could set an alarm. What time is it?_ She fumbled on the desk before finally extracting her silver watch. It was 7:28 AM. _Crap, I have to be down to Professor McGonagalls room in 2 minutes. _She sprung up and after getting dressed; Hermione sprinted through the portrait hole. She couldn't be late, not today. She had to teach todays lesson.

A few minutes later, Hermione burst through the Transfiguration door, panting heavily in an attempt to catch her breath. Malfoy was stacking papers on the teachers desk, having glanced at her for a mere moment. Professor McGonagall glared at her and began advancing like a Lion about to strike. "Ms. Granger," she barked. "You were supposed to be here almost 10 minutes ago, there is no excuse for this conduct. 20 points from Gryffindor for lack of punctuality." Hermione stared at her feet, she felt horrible. Not only for letting Professor McGonagall down, but also because she felt exhausted from sleeping on a chair. "I'm terribly sorry Professor," she said quickly, hoping to avoid any more yelling. "I promise this won't happen again." She looked Hermione up and down. "Fine then, begin preparing the pebbles. One for each student." Hermione got straight to work. She wanted to make this lesson perfect, after all it was going to be the first one she and Malfoy would teach without Professor McGonagalls help. The period they TA'd was the first period on Wednesday, which was first year transfiguration. Hermione was jiust glad that it was simple work, just turning pebbles into buttons.

At the end of the period, Hermione proudly smiled as the students filed out of the class, their pointed hats bobbing along. Hermione was pleased with how well the lesson turned out. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a platinum blonde head begin to dart out into the hallways. Caught by a sudden idea, Hermione followed Malfoy, running a bit to catch up. "Hey Malfoy, can I talk for a second," she said rather quickly. Hermione didn't want to be late. Malfoy stopped in his tracks. "Yeah sure, spit it out." Hermione frowned a bit at his rudeness, but continued anyway. "So I was thinking…I saw how well you were working with the first years. It really impressed me." Malfoy looked taken aback. "Thanks," he said in reply. "So that got me thinking. When I was younger I thought there were only two types of people in the world, good and bad. But as I've gotten older, I've realized the world isn't so black and white. Good people can do bad things for good reasons and people can be a mix of both colors. Seeing you interact with those children and seeming so happy made me realize that I've been demonizing you this entire time. You and I both know you have done some terrible things and we aren't exactly friends, but everyone deserves a second chance." Malfoy looked downright shocked. "Are you saying that you are finally giving me a chance, even though I asked for one on the first day?" Hermione grinned sheepishly. "You know, that rant you gave me a few days ago really was effective." Malfoy suddenly cracked a grin, the first real one Hermione had seen. "Thank you so much, I can't believe this. I won't let you down." Without further notice Malfoy surrounded her in a tight embrace and ran off. Hermione stood there, outside the classroom with her cheeks red as beets. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror. _This can't be happening. _

AN: Hey everyone. I can't promise when the next update will be because I'm going to have a really tight schedule for a long time. I'll try my best to get something out.


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